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Comment Re:Never read (Score 2, Interesting) 238

I think it's some of King's best work. It's worth reading at least one to see if you're into the series. The first one is harder to get into than the rest.

I read The Wastelands first. It reminded me a little of The Stand, but with more detail around Roland (main dude) and less background on what's going on in the world. It was interesting enough that I decided to go back and see what I'd missed.

Tried to read The Gunslinger and got bored after a little while - there are a few other characters, but it's mostly two dudes in the desert. The Drawing of the Three was more in the vein of Wastelands, and from there I blazed through each book as soon as it came out.

You may not realize it, but you've seen glimpses of the DT universe through most of King's books.

Comment Re:Standard 97 button controller? (Score 1) 271

A PS3 controller has four control buttons (one through four lines o,x,tri,square), four "shoulder" buttons (L1,L2,R1,R2), two clickable joysticks (L3,R3), three system buttons (Select,PS3,Start) and four d-pad directions.

If you count L3 and R3 as d-pads as well, that's 26 buttons. You need to hold the controller as well, so that's ~26 functions across 2 hands and/or 10 fingers.

Compare that to an arcade console with a joystick + 2 buttons or the classic NES controller with 8 buttons and it dwarfs both of them.

Even compare it to a keyboard layout for most games - WASD, Ctrl, Shift, Space, MOUSE1-3 and mouse move, that's still about double.

Comment Explain yourself (Score 1) 244

Your best bet is to find someone higher up who understands the problem or to whom you can explain the problem.

You eventually need to get to a C-level officer, something like CTO or COO who can actually mandate change. Somehow, in the places that I've worked I've been lucky enough to have CTOs that understand the concept of (and need for) security. They made a lot of changes that made sense to me (passwords must be changed more than once every 3 years, user data must not be stored on local machines, principles of least access, etc.) but other users didn't understand the business need behind them. "Yes, your department could hit all of its goals and produce its reports a day faster if everyone had access to everything, but if you use these rules then you take the extra day and you know it's right because it's auditable!"

Convince them that your business goals will be met faster / more auditably / with less risk if you implement certain policies. Risk is your best friend, although it sounds like your upper-level managers ignore it rather than mitigate it. It's going to take you a while, so get started now. Does your boss understand the problem? If not, can you explain and convince them that you know what you're talking about?

If you can't explain or justify your views on security, either learn some more or find a new job - it's not worth your while or the damage to your reputation from being associated with an insecure company if your title is Senior Security anything.
Microsoft

Microsoft Battles Vista Perception With Prizes 342

LambAndMint writes "In what can only be described as an act of utter desperation to overcome Vista's mostly negative public perception issues, Microsoft has put together an online "Fact or Fiction" quiz about Windows Vista. Every person who submits themselves to Microsoft indoctrination gets a free shirt and the chance to win a $15,000 prize. Some of the supposed 'facts' will make you feel like you're reading a document from an alternate reality. Get ready to get a job as a computer salesman for a mass-market retailer as you go through the quiz."
Lord of the Rings

Jackson Slated to Make Hobbit Movie, Sequel 496

A user writes "Peter Jackson, New Line Cinema, and MGM have agreed to work on two new movies: a film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit', and a further sequel. From the article: 'The two Hobbit films ... are scheduled to be shot simultaneously, with pre-production beginning as soon as possible. Principal photography is tentatively set for a 2009 start, with the intention of 'The Hobbit' release slated for 2010 and its sequel the following year, in 2011.'" Not sure if it would be possible to nab Ian Holm as Bilbo, but here's hoping.
Music

Submission + - Someone In Congress Actually Understands Mixtapes!

An anonymous reader writes: Most of us (for pretty good reasons!) have come to assume that our Congressional representatives are pretty far out of touch when it comes to things like technology and culture, but it's nice to see that at least one Congressman seems to understand that mixtapes and mashups aren't such a bad thing. Techdirt has the transcript of Rep. Mike Doyle's speech, which talks about the benefits of mixtapes, while wondering about why DJ Drama was arrested: "I hope that everyone involved will take a step back and ask themselves if mash-ups and mix-tapes are really different or if it's the same as Paul McCartney admitting that he nicked the Chuck Berry bass-riff and used it on the Beatle's hit 'I Saw Her Standing There.' Maybe it is. And, maybe Drama violated some clear bright lines. Or, maybe mixtapes are a powerful tool. And, maybe mash-ups are transformative new art that expands the consumers experience and doesn't compete with what an artist has made available on iTunes or at the CD store. And, I don't think Sir Paul asked for permission to borrow that bass line, but every time I listen to that song, I'm a little better off for him having done so...."
Google

Submission + - Using Google Earth to see destruction

An anonymous reader writes: On Monday, an environmental advocacy group [Appalachian Voices] joined with Google to deliver a special interactive layer for Google Earth. This new layer will tell "the stories of over 470 mountains that have been destroyed from coal mining, and its impact on nearby ecosystems. Separately, the World Wildlife Fund has added the ability to visit its 150 project sites using Google Earth.

FDA Asked to Regulate Nanotechnology 248

WillAffleckUW writes "According to the Washington Post, a coalition of environmental and consumer groups has asked the FDA to look at regulating nanotechnology. They point out that there are more than 100 nanotechnology products and that nanoparticles can penetrate cells and tissues, migrate through the body and brain and cause biochemical damage."
User Journal

Journal Journal: Page 23

Following Kria's history:

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Turn to page 23.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.

On the Personalize Your Software screen, type your name and the name of your company.

Dennis Maione, MCT. MCSE Windows 2000 Server Training Guide, New Riders Publishing, 2000.

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